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There actually is a legal basis for Microsoft's style preference.
Everything I have read on trademarks (and I suppose I should
give the usual "I'm not a lawyer" disclaimer right here) indicates
that trademarks should only be used as adjectives. Using a
trademark name as a noun is the first step on the slippery path
to generic usage (just ask a trademark lawyer at Kimberly-Clark
to pass you "a Kleenex" if you want a discourse on this subject).
And the simple fact is that you can only form a conventional
possessive from a noun, not an adjective.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: E,T, Hull [SMTP:ethull -at- WORLDACCESS -dot- NL]
> Sent: Thursday, April 02, 1998 12:48 PM
> Subject: Re: Trademark Question
>
> > 'Morning, everyone,
> >
> > One of the no-nos about trademarks is using it in a possessive form:
> >
> > Microsoft Word's capabilities
> > Adobe FrameMaker's tools
>
> Maybe a dumb question, but why is this a no-no? And who says so?
>
> Ed Hull
> Professional English
> Vught, The Netherlands
> ethull -at- worldaccess -dot- nl
